Heat fan blames the refs for Game 1 loss (no, really)

[Glide2keva]

Zebras hand Bulls victory over Miami Heat

By Daniel Barber

It took me nearly 24 hours before I could even begin to think about writing an article about the Miami Heat's 103-82 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday, May 15 to the Chicago Bulls.

That's because I was so incensed about the game I probably would've thrown my laptop up against the wall just trying to get out the first few sentences.

However, I wasn't angry at the Heat players or their coaches, or even so much at the Bulls players and their coaching staff as I was at the officials; who all but handed the game to Chicago in what I believe was one of the greatest robberies in sports I've ever witnessed.

Now, I know Bulls fans will comment on this story in droves saying I'm nothing but a whining fool for believing that, and I'm more than prepared to simply ignore every one of them. However, someone has to say this; especially in light of the media pretending the Chicago win was because of "smothering" defense as they seem to be putting it.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports—a long-time hater of the Miami Heat and LeBron James—is having a party with the whole idea, as he lays out in his Bulls-worship piece every thought he has that the Heat went down in defeat because the Bulls planned it all that way.

I would say I've never in my life seen such horrid officiating if it weren't false. The fact is I have seen a team robbed just as badly in an NBA playoff game, and ironically it involved another Florida franchise and these same Chicago Bulls.

As I laid out in my piece, The NBA Might Be Fixed: So What; Live With It! The Orlando Magic were just as thoroughly robbed by the officials in Game 2 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals.

That game actually had me believing for a few years the NBA was no more on the up-and-up than professional wrestling, and I still have that seed of a thought in my head today. However, as the title of the article reads, I've lived with it.

However, if I continue to see the kind of egregiously bad officiating I witnessed in Game 1 of the 2011 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, I'm not sure I will be able to continue to do that.

I watched as Chicago literally got away with throwing Miami players to the ground without an official blowing their whistle, and had to suffer through the moronic announcers ignoring such stuff completely and instead praising the Bulls for their unbelievable defense and rebounding.

One such incident was an offensive rebound and putback of a Kyle Korver missed three-point attempt with 2:57 left in the second period by Joakim Noah, which should have been negated and a foul called on Boozer, who had shoved Joel Anthony so hard with his right elbow he literally knocked him to the floor.

Did the refs call a foul on the play? Nope. Did the announcers opine on how the Bulls had gotten away with one there? Nope. Instead, they simply ignored it as if it hadn't even happened; even when they almost immediately went to an overhead replay of the whole thing that made it so visible to anyone watching that to claim you didn't see it would be to admit you're legally blind.

And that wasn't just an isolated play. The block by Taj Gibson of a LeBron James layup attempt with 2:11 left in the third quarter and the Heat only down by six, 67-61 was not only a foul on Gibson, he committed three of them on the play. That's right, three fouls on one driving layup attempt, and he doesn't get called for a single one.

Again, that is hardly the end of it. There were literally dozens upon dozens of non-calls in the second, third and fourth quarters, while the Heat were being called for ticky-tack touch fouls such as Chris Bosh being called for a foul when he literally barely touched the back of Omer Asik who'd just dunked the ball with 8:33 left in the second period.

I know Bulls fans will dismiss all this, but the one good thing that's changed since that 1996 Eastern Conference Finals series between Chicago and Orlando is we now have digital television in high-definition, with DVRs. I have the entire game taped, and have reviewed it several times, and I can authoritatively state the Bulls should have been called for—at minimum—35 fouls in the game.

The fact, though, is they were only called for 13 fouls, and that is why Game 1 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, in my view, was the Great Chicago Referee Robbery.

I don't know if the NBA is fixed. I don't know if Miami is being purposely robbed to prevent them from getting to the NBA Finals and serve the "wonderful" storyline David Stern and most in the media are falling down over themselves trying to maintain about the Bulls.

There's a good chance, as Greg Cote of the Miami Herald puts it, we can Expect Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade and LeBron James to Bounce Back, and I'll be looking forward to it. I'm not ready to give up hope the Heat can still come through this and give Miami fans what they've desired all year.

However, if they are to have any chance at it, they'll certainly need the rest of the games against Chicago to be more fairly officiated. Whether those officials swallowed their whistles simply because they were so enamored with the Bulls that day, or because there's some nefarious plot to send Chicago to the Finals, I'll probably never know.

Regardless of that, the fact remains in my view Miami was robbed.

More From Yahoo! Sports

LeBron James' Redemption: Oh What a Difference a Year and a New Team Makes

Bring On the Bulls! LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Miami Heat Close Out Boston Celtics 97-87

The Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard Isn't Going Anywhere Soon

All stats and information taken from personal notes and verified at Basketball-Reference.com and Yahoo! Sports.

Fan's view: Zebras hand Bulls victory over Miami Heat - Yahoo! Sports

 

[MidwayMobster]

Like Barkley said...."just a whiny bunch"

 

[payton 34ever]

That is, without question, the dumbest thing I've ever read in relation to sports. It's just mind-boggling how convinced this guy has himself that his team was jobbed. As if having LeBron and Wade on the same team doesn't get them more calls on drives to the hoop than any other team in the league. Just completely moronic.

Oh well, justify it however you want, Heat fans (those that show up before the end of the 1st quarter) - the Bulls are plainly deeper, better rebounders, better defenders, and more balanced than your team, not to mention having one of the best "closers" in basketball. Maybe you (and your suckups in the media) are surprised, but I'm not.

 

[Scoot26]

Miami Heat fans probably are the dumbest fans in all of sports. They make Cowboy fans look smarter.

 

[WindyCity7]

Miami Heat fans probably are the dumbest fans in all of sports. They make Cowboy fans look smarter.

that easy to do tho

 

[WindyCity7]

Miami Heat fans probably are the dumbest fans in all of sports. They make Cowboy fans look smarter.

that easy to do tho

 

[Gravis]

Miami Heat fans probably are the dumbest fans in all of sports. They make Packers fans look smarter.

Corrected.

 

[clonetrooper264]

That fan is probably in shock that the Heat didn't shoot 40 free throws a game on ridiculous touch fouls like they usually do. Guess what Heat fans, impartial refs means half the free throws you're used to...or less. Deal with it.

 

[Scoot26]

Corrected.

I've actually met intelligent Packer fans or have come across a few on message boards...I have yet to see any from Miami that have any intelligence.

 

[Glide2keva]

Another idiotic thing a Heat fan said.

It's now cheating to use your bench in a game.

FCK THE BULLS..

They have to cheat just to be able to beat the Heat. They can't go heads up talent for talent, and play their s5 as much as Miami Heat's s5 to make this a fair matchup. They have to bring in their stacked bench to handle everything their starters couldn't.

The Bulls and their fans know their top players don't have SHT on the Heat's top superstars. Hate how teams have to stack a NY Yankees type roster just to beat 2-3 players.

D.Wade and LeBron are going to have to run around slashing the defense like they're in the movie 300 if they want to win this series. Stop settling for ineffective jumpshots. The Heat don't have the luxury to call in reinforcements when the going gets tough like the Bulls do every time for Rose. It's up to LeBron and D.Wade to make this ish happen.

Yes, they are the most dumb fans in all of sports. They easily beat kobe fans by a mile.

 

[poodski]

Isn't this just the normal go to for sports fan.

Blame the refs. As a psuedo-Pacer fan reading the IGT's here during a 4-1 series win for you guys all you did was complain that the refs were fucking you over.

No team has ever lost a game according to some fans. The refs have just screwed them over.

 

[Glide2keva]

Isn't this just the normal go to for sports fan.

Blame the refs. As a psuedo-Pacer fan reading the IGT's here during a 4-1 series win for you guys all you did was complain that the refs were fucking you over.

No team has ever lost a game according to some fans. The refs have just screwed them over.

That was a legit claim. The Pacers were playing dirty ball and were getting away with it. So the Bulls had to blow them out and dismiss them.

 

[Utahbullsfan]

That was a legit claim. The Pacers were playing dirty ball and were getting away with it. So the Bulls had to blow them out and dismiss them.

Ya I didnt see any Bulls players pulling this shit



http://youtu.be/PK5eNSWFB4o

 

[Glide2keva]

or this

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOt-DGI6mE0]YouTube - Jeff Fosrer 's elbow flagrant foul on Luol Deng[/ame]

 

[Utahbullsfan]

or this

YouTube - Jeff Fosrer 's elbow flagrant foul on Luol Deng

How the heck do you embed a video I copied and pasted the embed link and nada!!

 

[Glide2keva]

Copy/paste the address in the address bar

 

[X]

How the heck do you embed a video I copied and pasted the embed link and nada!!

copy/paste the URL to the video...it auto-embeds

 

[Utahbullsfan]

LMAO maybe they should blame the loss on their bigs

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2akdYIFJ2A]YouTube - Joel Anthony Epic Fail Airball Layup vs. Phoenix Suns[/ame]

 

[Utahbullsfan]

copy/paste the URL to the video...it auto-embeds

Thanks guys!

 

[X]

Fan's view: Zebras hand Bulls victory over Miami Heat - Yahoo! Sports

Zebras hand Bulls victory over Miami Heat

By Daniel Barber

It took me nearly 24 hours before I could even begin to think about writing an article about the Miami Heat's 103-82 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday, May 15 to the Chicago Bulls.

Wah wah wah, I'm a whiny *****. Some no-name from USC made my man-crush look like a jackass...wah wah, lebronze didn't get every single call...wah wah wah, I've been a heat fan for 6 months I've got so much invested in them!

The Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard Isn't Going Anywhere Soon

All stats and information taken from personal notes and verified at Basketball-Reference.com and Yahoo! Sports.

gtfo of here w/ that shit. Bulls should've been called for a minimum of 35 fouls? LeBron runs ppl over all the time...re-watch it and count the Heat fouls you jack ass. kiss my ass...dip shit. what a clown.